The group renovating Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre insists the venue will close at the end of 2023 despite a report Disney On Ice confirmed dates for a run at the site next year.
PJ Mercanti, CEO of Carmen’s Group and president of the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group (HUPEG) says he was surprised to hear about such an activation in 2024 and the matter appears to be a “misunderstanding” between parties marketing the ice show.
After some “digging,” Mercanti told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton a third party handling Feld Entertainment’s marketing for Ontario Disney On Ice shows was working on the assumption Hamilton shows at FirstOntario would be in the mix, as they have been in the past.
“Feld is of course apologetic and understands the negative impact this has,” Mercanti revealed.
Get daily National news
“They’re dealing with a third-party company, and we’re not sure why they would ever confirm a show or speak to the media before it’s been properly announced, regardless if we were open or not.”
Hamilton Spectator columnist and 900 CHML host Scott Radley reported Tuesday that Feld confirmed dates for 2024 at FirstOntario that had yet to be publicly announced.
But Mercanti insists the last show at the venue, prior to the beginning of construction, will be a Cirque du Soleil on Ice run earmarked for December.
He says HUPEG continues to have “robust” talks with the City Of Hamilton’s planning department and partners at the Oak View Group (OVG) on putting together timelines for construction and acquiring building permits for the York Boulevard redevelopment.
“Obviously there will be more information shared at the appropriate time and engagement with the public and other stakeholders,” Mercanti said. “But, wheels are in motion and good progress was made at that meeting which took place just over a week ago.”
Renovations to FirstOntario and some surrounding venues are expected to take between 16 to 20 months to complete.
Initially, the group ball-parked a start date sometime in June or July of 2023 with an estimated completion sometime in 2025.
The plan changed somewhat last summer with cost revisions anticipating a development ranging between $80 million to $200 million when sports magnate Tim Leiweke and his OVG became involved.
FirstOntario’s renovation has already resulted in a pair of Hamilton’s major sports teams, the OHL’s Bulldogs and CEBL’s Honey Badgers, relocating to Brantford and Brampton respectively.
-
![]()
Looming WestJet Strike -
![]()
Canada, South Korea sign critical minerals deal in bid to reduce dependence on China -
![]()
Australia bus crash: Truck driver charged in ‘horrific’ collision with school bus -
![]()
German gang members sentenced over 2019 jewel heist -
![]()
Ukraine claims it shot down several Russian hypersonic missiles
Comments